Three Things to Watch For During Cincinnati's 2024 Spring Game

The free event kicks off at noon on Saturday.

Author:
Russ Heltman
Apr 12, 2024

In this story:

Spring Practice

Cincinnati Bearcats

Bearcats

Cincinnati

Cincinnati Spring Game

Brendan Sorsby

Brady Lichtenberg

Cincinnati Bearcats Football

CINCINNATI — The 2024 Spring game is almost here as Brendan Sorsby and the new-look Cincinnati Bearcats showcase their hard work in front of the crowd at Nippert Stadium.

The free event kicks off at noon on Saturday, with a few key things to watch for from a UC team that's trying to bounce back from its worst record this century (3-9 in 2023).

Another QB Battle

It's a battle on paper, but given what I saw at spring practice over the past month, it would be shocking if Sorsby is not the guy for Cincinnati this fall.

He and Brady Lichtenberg have split a lot of the major reps, with Lichtenberg looking solid, but not at the same physical level as Sorsby. Saturday is a great chance for the redshirt freshman to showcase his command of the offense.

Both players have a lot healthier weapon options to work with compared to what this UC pass-catcher group looked like last spring. Sorsby can put a stranglehold on the QB1 spot with a nice, cerebral outing.

The baseline depth on offense is much higher than it was a year ago, will they get the rising QB play to match? Saturday is our first chance to find out.

Secondary Reshaped

Jordan Young has plenty to prove at outside cornerback after going through growing pains last season in his first college campaign outside. He's looked more consistent this spring and has veteran experience alongside him at CB in Derrick Canteen.

From Canteen to Josh Minkins and Kye Stokes, Cincinnati brought in nearly 10 transfers to redo the safety and cornerback positions. Add in the fact that the star position is getting moved toward the secondary from a line-of-scrimmage-heavy alignment and you get plenty of resources going towards one the worst deep passing defenses in the country.

It's hard to gauge how much this group has improved until they face another team this fall, but the focus has been paid to fixing the problem.

The defense is also still being installed bit by bit following DC Tyson Veidt's arrival just before spring practice.

Heavy Tight Ends Back In The Mix?

The days of having a center play tight end are hopefully over for UC after injuries shredded their depth at the spot last season. I expect to see plenty of plays made by Joey Beljan, Joe Royer, Payten Singletary, and others as UC is three-deep at the spot with Gavin Grover turning heads as a true freshman.

Cincinnati didn't really have a consistent down-to-down tight end option last season as Chamon Metayer flashed with his hands at times, while Singletary struggled as a blocker. Enter Beljan and Royer who've looked like serious threats in the middle of the field.

Emory Jones had no good options there last season (24.8% of attempts between 10-19 yards, 51.3% completion rate). Now, Cincinnati could have at least two guys that can shake free on that part of the turf.

The 2024 UC football team mystery starts getting solved a little bit on Saturday.

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